ST. LOUIS -- Zack Wheeler has waited forever for this opportunity.

He will start Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Cardinals on Friday afternoon at Busch Stadium. It is a huge moment for the Phillies’ ace -- whose 195 starts are the third-most among active pitchers without a postseason appearance -- and the Phils, who have not been to the postseason since the Cardinals upset them in the 2011 NLDS.

“It’s been a long road,” Wheeler said Thursday afternoon at Busch Stadium. “I’m definitely excited to be here.”

Wheeler probably expected handfuls of postseason starts by now after San Francisco selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2009 Draft. The Giants traded him to the Mets in July 2011 for Carlos Beltrán. Wheeler pitched for New York for five seasons, beginning in 2013. But in the middle of those five seasons, he missed two because of Tommy John surgery. The Mets made the postseason both years, winning the '15 NL pennant and a '16 NL Wild Card Game.

Wheeler was not with team for either one of them.

He wanted to be.

“It was a bummer, there’s no way around that,” Wheeler said. “To sit back and watch my friends and teammates go to battle in the playoffs without me was tough. So this time around, I’m here with these guys. I’m on the field with them. I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be fun, especially playing for the city of Philadelphia. They’re pretty crazy. They come and support us. Hopefully we can get back there.”

• Postseason ticket information: Phillies | Cardinals

The Phillies love their chances to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series because they have Wheeler on the mound. He went 12-7 with a 2.82 ERA in 26 starts this season. Against the Cardinals, Wheeler went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two starts. Across 14 scoreless innings, Wheeler struck out 10 and walked two. He is 3-2 with a 2.65 ERA in six career starts against St. Louis and 2-1 with a 2.52 ERA in four career starts at Busch Stadium.

He has allowed just one run in 15 innings in his last two starts here.

But then Wheeler has allowed just one run in 15 innings in three starts since returning from the injured list on Sept. 21 because of tendinitis in his right forearm. His four-seam fastball has averaged 96.4 mph since his return, compared to 95.9 mph before that.

It is a long way of saying that Wheeler is one of the best pitchers in baseball.

“He’s just been electric,” Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “Since the first day he’s been back from the IL, his fastball has been really good, better than I thought it was early in the season. When he’s got his fastball going and he can throw it to both sides of the plate, two-seams and four-seams to righties and lefties, and to just be able to mix fastballs like that, and with how explosive it is, and getting ahead in the strike zone, it makes it really tough on opposing hitters.”

So now Wheeler just needs to go out and do it. He knows the Cardinals will be watching video of him. He knows they know his tendencies.

Wheeler could change things up, but he probably won’t. Why would he?

“For the most part, you’re just trying to attack the hitters and stay ahead,” Wheeler said.

The biggest thing on Friday might be how Wheeler behaves on the mound. Does he get too amped up? Does he control his emotions if a bounce goes St. Louis’ way? But Wheeler believes those 195 regular-season starts have prepared him for this opportunity.

He is ready.

“There’s some added pressure, I guess you could say,” Wheeler said. “But I’m just kind of a laid-back guy, so just go out there and do the best I can. Throw strikes, get ahead and that will settle some of those nerves. I’ve pitched in a couple nerve-wracking innings or games throughout my career, so just look back at those and how I handled that and just go out there and pitch.”